We’re entering the second half of 12 Days of Christmas Movies with a cute little Netflix movie called Klaus.
This is a Santa Claus origin film. It’s not the first Santa Claus origin film ever, but it’s definitely a new take on what I am dubbing the Santa Claus Origin Film Genre (TM). So how does this story of a postman who inadvertently invents the Santa Claus tradition fare in comparison to other takes on the Santa Claus origin film genre? We’ll have to run it through my patented (not really) Christmas movie rating system to find out.
Klaus is a Netflix original cartoon movie directed by Sergio Pablos and Carlos Martínez López. It’s the story of Jesper (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), a spoiled rich boy who takes his cushy life for granted. So to teach him a lesson, his father sends him off to the distant town of Smeerensburg to start up a new post office. Smeerensburg is a cold and unfriendly place, and that’s putting it lightly. This town is defined by its frosty weather, its naughty children, and the violent feuding in the streets. Nobody goes to school. Nobody gets along. And certainly nobody’s sending anyone else any mail. Basically, Jesper’s father has tasked him with a virtually impossible task of delivering mail to these lawless people. But then Jesper meets Klaus (voiced by J.K. Simmons), and with the help of his new friend, Jesper accomplishes more for the town than anyone thought was possible. I can’t say more than that without spoiling.
So on that note, shall we get to the scoring system?
Romance: 9/10. There is a romance in this movie. One of the first people Jesper meets in Smeerensburg is a beautiful young school teacher named Alva (Rashida Jones). Of course, no one in Smeerensburg sends their children to school because that would mean fraternizing with the enemy, so Alva has resorting to selling fish from within the schoolhouse to get by. Alva and Jesper become friends and that gradually turns into more, but we don’t see a lot of that on screen. We don’t even really know that this relationship has blossomed into more than a friendship until we see this couple give one another a chaste peck towards the end of the film. It’s not a lot to go by, but it’s still sweet. So we’ll give this a 9/10.
Morality: 10/10. I’m not really sure how this movie could score any higher in morality. This movie is the embodiment of “I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside” (Whitney Houston). Again, can’t really say more than that without giving away the movie. It’s a short movie. Just watch it.
Music: 7/10. Kid’s movies like these like to rely on pop songs to keep it youthful and fun. Which is fine I guess, but not especially memorable. Still, there are a few Christmas bops here, and if you really want to get into the Christmas spirit, there’s a Klaus soundtrack on Spotify. Although I really feel like most of this music is just “inspired by” the movie because I don’t remember much of this playing during the actual movie. Then again, maybe I was just so wrapped up in the story I didn’t notice.
Christmas Spirt: 10/10. It’s a movie about Santa Claus. And toys. And presents. And Christmas cheer. And there’s snow fucking everywhere. This is the epitome of Christmas Spirit. Every other movie should look to this movie when trying to figure out how to get Christmas Spirit right. Yeah. I said it.
Warmth: 10/10. What a sweet movie. Like dang. If you dislike this movie, I don’t know what to say to you. It’s just a really warm, really sweet, really cute little Christmas movie. Friendship? Check? Love? Check? Cute little kids? Yes. Overcoming differences to love and understand one another? Yes. Sad remembrances of loved ones who are no longer with us? Oh heck yes. It’s got all the warmth you could need and then some.
Total: 46/50 = 92%/A. Overall, Klaus is a delightful little movie featuring a pretty STACKED cast (I didn’t even get to mention Joan Cusack and Norm MacDonald… they’re here too!). This is definitely worth the watch.